September Wishlist

September Wishlist by pilar-kim featuring too faced cosmetics

Mid calf boots
myhotshoes.com

Tech accessory
shopthetrendboutique.com

Too faced cosmetic
sephora.com

Urban decay
$58 - debenhams.com

NOTD - Australis Aqua

A friend of mine was wearing this shade recently and it immediately caught my attention. This nail colour from Australis is called 'Aqua' (funnily enough). I think this is such a great unique and bold color. I didn't have anything like it and wanted to try something new so for just $3.99 I snapped up this little bargain.

The bottle says 'streak-free' and when I tested this, comparing it to the application of some of my other nail colours, I found that it doesn't look streaky at all! It seems to spread out evenly on my nail when I 'glob' it on. The colour is a tiny bit transparent on the first coat but as you can see it is bright, matte and solid with two even coats.

I have been getting so many compliments on my nails since wearing this colour as it is such a standout! I am so glad my friend was wearing this that day I spotted it because this is a colour I probably never would have even looked at on the shelf otherwise. Just goes to show you should always try new things (especially if they are cheap!). 

I was looking around and found a lot of minty green colours that I liked but I think this one is slightly more unique being more on the blue side. I think I might look for a nice pastel violet/lavender colour next!


What do you think of Australis Aqua? What is your favourite nail colour at the moment?

Month of Squee

So lately I have been doing a LOT of job applications. I am also looking at my options for rural positions as well as moving interstate but the next couple of months will reveal what happens for me.

Anyway, you would think that after hours and hours of writing cover letters about how great I am, and what I fantastic employee I would make, I would be feeling pretty great about myself. After all, positive affirmation is key to confidence and self-esteem. Well no. I feel tired, worthless and pathetic. Job hunting and making job applications is draining to say the least. I feel like every resume I send out takes a piece of my heart and soul away with it and I'm not sure how much I have left in me. <-- dramatic moment. 

Feeling this way I decided to do a post on a couple of things that have been keeping me happy recently despite the struggles. Little 'squees' and big 'squees' if you will. Don't worry, I won't sit here and brag about how wonderful my boyfriend is and how great my friends are, even if they are always forefront in helping me through the tough times.

New IKEA catalogue, yayy!! I was so happy to get this in the mail recently. I love flicking through and deciding upon things I really need, things I kinda need, things I don't really need, and things I definitely don't need. (It doesn't matter which category I put the things in, I end up buying EVERYTHING! IKEA is deadly!) For example, I really need a new quilt cover set as mine is quite torn up. I kinda need new pillows, as a couple of mine are looking a bit yellow inside their cases. I don't really need a new bed frame with awesome shelves on the head and super-fantastic hidden pull-out compartments underneath. And I definitely don't need a "SLARGFHARST" carrot-man plush toy, but hey, it's IKEA, and since when does anyone go to IKEA for things they just really need.

Play sessions with the ferret-man Ace always cheers me up. He is such a crazy boof! He gets so excited when he is jumping around going crazy he'll often bump into or fall off something in his crazy dance. He is not normally allowed inside but when I took him out today he darted through the door and started going crazy so I took some shots before I promptly lead him back outside.

Two of my very talented friends recently wrote two separate plays for children and they cast me in both of them! These performances will go up in two weeks for the school holidays at a local community theatre so I am keeping very busy learning my lines and practising my singing and dancing once again!

This is a photo and two of my girls last weekend at 'Lost Society', a great little bar in the city of Perth. I think we look a bit like Charlie's Angels here don't you? It was such a great night getting the VIP treatment with our own private retreat and free cocktails all around! Might I just add that the bar staff at this place are fantastic and amazingly talented and creative. Definitely a place to try out and keep coming back. Looking forward to visiting 'Lost Society' to check out the daytime atmosphere! (By the way, on my lips I am wearing MAC Vegas Volt but somewhere along the night something went wrong. I think my lips were still burning red from the curry we had at a restaurant before drinking!)

I am getting a lot of relief work all of a sudden so will be keeping quite busy for now, especially as the job applications keep piling up *sigh*. If for whatever reason you are just feeling physically and/or emotionally tired like me at the moment, no matter how hard it may seem, just try to focus on some of the good things around you. There WILL be something.

50 followers, wohoo! One more thing to cheer me up! Thank you everyone for all your support, it really means a lot for me and my fresh little blog! xxx

Kimmy's Bubblegum Cocktail

I 'discovered' this drink when I was at a night club a few years ago and I asked the barkeep to 'make me something nice'. I was very pleasantly surprised. Since that night, I have pursued the exact recipe for the drink that this bartender made me with little success until I gave up and made something of my own (I think it is pretty close!). Introducing, Kimmy's Bubblegum Cocktail!

This one is super easy to make because all you have to do is throw all the ingredients into a shaker together, shake it up and pour into a glass. The complications only come if you want to decorate and serve properly... which I think is the fun part of making cocktails, like decorating the icing on cupcakes!

What you will need:

Cherry Advokaat: 60ml, Southern Comfort: 30ml, Grenadine: 10ml (or a splash), Banana Liquer: 20ml, Milk.

A step by step:

1. Have a previously chilled glass in the fridge or put some ice in one and leave to the side as you make the drink.

2. Measure up the ingredients and tip into a cocktail/milkshake shaker, top up with milk and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds. 

3. I used some extra cherry advokaat and splashed it around the glass to decorate my drink as you can see in the picture above before pouring in the mixture (optional).

4. Pour the drink into your chilled glass, garnish with banana, strawberry or anything else you like and enjoy!

This time, I used ordinary Hi-Lo milk. I wouldn't recommend skim milk for this. Full cream or lactose-free varieties work best because they are generally sweeter. If you are worried about dieting and losing weight then you shouldn't be drinking cocktails anyway so you may as well go all out if you decide to try this one! I haven't tried any other milks but you could try soy, almond or other varieties and let me know what they are like.

Lush Sugar Lip Scrub in Bubblegum

My most recent trip to Lush had me leaving with a some lovely smelly things that I really didn't need but snapped up either way. I thought I would share this bubblegum flavoured lip scrub!

This comes in a cute little 25g tub for AUD$9.95. It smells and tastes delicious and has the Lush Vegan stamp of approval. I rub it over my lips as part of my skin care regime because it leaves my lips feeling soft and smooth after (but not moisturised). 

It is a bit of a silly buy, as i'm sure you could make something very similar at home using some granulated sugar mixed with a bit of oil, (the ingredients on the package list: Castor sugar, Organic Jojoba Oil, flavour and colour) but I thought it was cute and it wasn't particularly expensive so I went for it. I might try making some as a DIY project in the future after looking to some different kinds of oils I might use.

The other flavours available are 'Mint Julips' and 'Sweet Lips'. You can find them at any lush store or online in Australia here. 

My lips getting a scrub!

What are some of your favourite Lush products? 

August Bellabox

The theme for the August Bellabox was 'Go Green' and it contained lots of great natural products that I couldn't wait to try. There were a couple of 'meh' products for me in this one but I still had lots of fun trying out all my new samples!

LUK Beautiful Lip Nourish

3g $24.95 available at bellabox.com.au

What they say:

Did you know that some women consume up to 2kg of lipstick in a lifetime? If you love lip products but care about what you put on your pout, you'll love being one of the first to try this hot-from-the-lab product (it's not even in stores yet, hence no labels!) made from a 100% natural, edible and food active recipe. Your pout will be onto a winner with Tangerine and Vanilla flavour.

What I say:

I like the concept of this product. It wears like a smooth creamy lip-stick (not a balm or a gloss) with a semi-sheer colour. I can smell the tangerine but it's not an overpowering scent or anything. This one was a little bit of a let down for me as I can't wear it because I just don't like how the colour looks like on me. It is a really dark brown and I don't know if it is because of my complexion or style but when I wear it on my lips it just looks dirty. I can see why they chose this colour for the samples though, it is very neutral, just doesn't work for me. I will be keeping an eye on the development of this product and hopefully the release of some more suitable colours!

Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

225g $29.95 available at Lush stores nationally and at lush.com.au

What they say:

2012 Winner of the Australian Business Awards for Best New Product, use this ingenious product just like a hair conditioner...except it's for your body! Apply all over right after showering to feel thoroughly deoderised, moisturised and smelling like sweet rose and lemon.

What I say:

I have heard quite a bit of hype about this product and it caught my attention in store knowing the benefits of Argan oil for skin and hair. I was a little bit disappointed to see Argan oil half way through the ingredients list, considering it is in the name of the product. This smells really strong and it even gave me a little bit of a headache when I was putting it on and wearing it throughout the day so if you are into fragrance-free products then this is not for you! It smells like that strong organic soapy smell you get when you walk into lush with notes of rose. I find it hard to spread around because my skin just laps it up immediately which I suppose is a good thing and I was trying to use it sparingly as I was given a small sample tub. My legs stay super smooth and moisturised after using this so it is definitely effective as a body butter, and a nice option to go for if you don't want a shimmer which a lot of body moisturisers seem to have these days. 

Phytocare Daily C

30 sachets x 3.7g $17.80 available at phytocare.com.au

What they say:

Phytocare are back at bb with their Vitamin C Powder, individually packaged in convenient daily sachets containing a mix of essential nutrients. Feel good on the inside and out with these Citrus Burst supplements, free of sugar and with no artificial, colours, flavours or preservatives.

What I say:

I haven't tried these yet as I have decided that I am going to save these for when I am sick because they seem like a good, natural thing to take if you are feeling under the weather might be getting ill soon.

Emerginc Phytocell Detox Mask

50ml $70 available at bellabox.com.au

What they say:

Pure, potent and cosmeceutical, emerginC products are formulated and tested by a team of experienced doctors and chemists. To achieve glow, the green-clay based Phytocell Detox Mask will remove impurities in 10-15 mins!

What I say:

I thought that this wasn't a big enough sample as I couldn't cover my entire face in a layer of the clay so I settled for a blotchy mask application. I think that samples like this need to be more than one use especially if the full sized product is $70 because you are going to need to use it more than once to get a good feel of it! On the plus side, despite my face not being fully covered, when I was washing it off I kept rinsing and rinsing because my face felt like it still had the mask on. I looked up in the mirror to see my face was clean and when I dried it off I was amazed at how my skin felt smooth and rubbery. With repeated use 1-3 times a week as is recommended I could only imagine how your skin might begin to feel. Unfortunately, I'm afraid this is one mud mask I won't be going for simply due to the painful price tag!

Be in Awe Skincare

Nirvaata Calming Serum $69, Amala Clearing Serum $79

What they say:

If you are yet to try serums, your skin is missing out! Perfect for itchy skin conditions and for use after skin irritation treatments the nirvaata Calming Serum soothes with anti-inflammatory ingredients. For oily skin try the amala Clearing Serum, designed to gently treat sebum build up by addressing four major factors of acne formation.

What I say:

Im going to save the calming serum for the next time I get sunburnt. I have been using the clearing serum as a spot treatment for pimples that come up big or small. I have had a couple and have put this on before going to bed at night to wake up and see a very significant reduction in the pimple! The only thing that is left behind is a little bit of redness from when I had been prodding and poking it the day before. Depending on the severity of acne, it might take a few more days to work completely but I would say this is an effective little treatment! It smells like citrus and tea-tree oil which I don't particularly like but I don't smell it for very long after it dries on my skin. 

Wotnot Facial Wipes

Pack of 25 $7.95 available at bellabox.com.au

What they say:

What is not to love about Wotnot Facial Wipes? Made with 100% natural fibres and enriched with certified organic aloe vera, sweet almond oil and rosehip oil use to remove make-up and refresh skin. Also kind to the earth, these wipes are 100% biodegradable. 

What I say:

These are thin, soft and stretchy. I was glad to receive these because I am running out of make-up wipes and I use them a lot. It is good to know that these are 100% biodegradable so I can be sure that they won't be sitting around in a rubbish dump for hundreds of years like plastic bags. Effective and easy to use without being too wet.

USPA Wheatgrass Solar Energy Leave-in Serum

150ml $32 please direct enquiries to Uspa on 0397936929

What they say:

A leave-in serum that utilises the unique properties of wheatgrass, silicone, glycerine and essential oils to preserve and protect colour treated hair. It also serves as a superior styling aid my minimising frizz, maintaining smoothness and offering extra protection for heat styling.

What I say:

This seemed like the perfect product for me as my hair is very frizzy and is always in need of some taming. This made my hair feel really heavy and it took forever for my hair to dry with it. It is more like a conditioner/butter than a serum. The shape of the sample pot made it quite difficult to get most of it out too. :-(

So thats my Bellabox for this month. Was yours the same? Have you tried any of these products and disagree with me?